Ho, ho, ho and all that.

It’s the holiday season. College campuses are winding down as finals week wraps up, suitcases are being pulled out of closets, and families everywhere are mahålang — yearning — to get home.

For many people from Guam living on the mainland, that yearning comes with a familiar question: Can I afford to go home this year?

Steve and I have long suspected that a round-trip ticket to Guam during the holidays might be one of the most expensive flights you can buy from the East Coast — more expensive than flying to Europe, Africa, or much of Asia. This year, we decided to test that suspicion.

Did it play out? Let’s take a look.

To keep this as apples-to-apples as possible, I used United Airlines for all comparisons. United is, realistically, the only airline that gets you to Guam in the most direct way. Yes, there are roundabout routes through Asia involving multiple carriers, overnight layovers, hotel stays, and a willingness to gamble on connections — but that kind of airline musical chairs requires a supercomputer, a lot of patience, and more time than it takes to get a weekly column out.

So, United it is.

I searched for round-trip fares leaving Dec. 18 and returning Jan. 11, a common travel window for students finishing finals and families trying to be home for Christmas and New Year’s.

From Washington Dulles International Airport, the cheapest round-trip ticket to Guam I could find was $3,004, in the most restrictive economy fare available. A fully refundable economy ticket? As high as $11,000. The average price landed around $6,970.

And yes — these are close-in bookings. I ran the same search a week out, and the cheapest economy ticket was still $3,400.

If I’m willing to miss Christmas entirely and leave on Dec. 29, prices drop to $2,578, with fully refundable economy fares at $2,748. So, unsurprisingly, the more flexibility you have, the better. Still, even searching two or three weeks out didn’t meaningfully lower prices. This isn’t just about timing — it’s about the season.

Now let’s compare Guam to other destinations around the world using those same dates.

Paris: Leaving Dec. 18, United prices the flight at $2,196, or $2,346 fully refundable. Looking across multiple airlines, the cheapest ticket I found was about $1,200. Leaving a week later drops United’s price to $1,976.

Rome: United’s lowest fare comes in at $2,106, with refundable tickets at $2,306. Searching other airlines brings the cheapest option down to about $1,300.

Singapore: One of my favorite cities in the world costs $2,617 on United, or $3,257 fully refundable. Outside of United’s network, the cheapest ticket drops to $1,992.

Then there’s Cape Town — the one destination that truly rivals Guam. A round-trip ticket comes in at $3,200, a couple hundred dollars more than Guam’s cheapest fare. Fully refundable tickets start around $3,500 — still roughly $3,000 less than Guam’s refundable option. And if I skip United altogether, I can get to Cape Town for about $3,000, roughly the same price as flying home to Guam.

That comparison is striking for one reason: Cape Town and Guam are each about 8,000 miles from Dulles Airport — opposite ends of the globe.

These prices reflect bookings made just days out. I’m writing this on Dec. 15, which means we’re looking at peak holiday pricing.

So what happens if we look further ahead — say, leaving on Jan. 12, about a month out?

Cape Town drops to $1,388 round trip on United. Guam? Still $2,500 at the low end.

Paris falls to $542. Rome to $1,097. Singapore to $1,175 — all on United, before even checking other airlines, which would almost certainly be cheaper.

Just for fun — and for Steve — I checked Timbuktu. Yes, it’s a real place, in Mali. Lowest fare: $1,023.

Let that sink in.

From the East Coast, with even modest planning, you can fly to just about anywhere in the world for $1,000 less than flying to Guam.

Why? Part of it is distance. Part of it is demand. But a big part of it is access — limited airline competition, limited routes, and an island reality where there are fewer alternatives and fewer ways to shop around.

For people from Guam living stateside, the cost of going home isn’t just a line item — it’s an emotional calculation. It’s deciding whether family, culture, funerals, weddings, Christmas dinners, and beach days are worth draining savings or maxing out a credit card.

That round-trip ticket to Guam? It’s practically gold.

The only thing is, all those cheaper destinations won’t have red rice, aunties asking when you’re coming back for good, or the best beaches in the world.

That’s the price of paradise.

As the holidays approach and the year winds down, I’ve been craving simplicity—rituals that keep me grounded, radiant, and nourished from within. Cold weather and full schedules can leave skin dull or dehydrated, but this season my glow has stayed strong thanks to Pique’s Radiant Skin Duo. It’s an effortless inside-out ritual that supports skin, energy, and overall wellbeing.

Sun Goddess Matcha is my calming morning start—ceremonial-grade, rich in EGCG, and incredible for firming, brightening, and supporting gut balance.
B·T Fountain, my afternoon reset, is a clean beauty electrolyte powered by clinically proven ceramides that hydrate at a cellular level, reduce redness, and visibly plump skin—without sugar or fillers.

Together, they strengthen the skin barrier, support collagen, and deliver deep hydration for a glow that lasts. Clean, pure, and travel-friendly, it’s the easiest ritual to bring into the new year feeling luminous and renewed.

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